12 of the World's Most Expensive Coffees

Take a look at some of the most expensive beans and cups of coffee the world has to offer.

Until recently, most Americans were content with simply picking up a cup of coffee at the nearest corner store or even mixing their morning beverages using the instant variety. But now patrons are seeking out brews that boast labels like "single origin," "small batch," "fresh roasted," and "fair trade." Even mainstream chains like Starbucks are beginning to offer pricier "artisanal" blends. Take a look at some of the most expensive beans and cups of coffee the world has to offer.
Need an extra buzz? Here's where you can get the best iced coffee.

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Starbucks

Quadriginoctuple Frappucino - $47.30

The Quadriginoctuple Frappucino isn't your typical Starbucks beverage. On his birthday, customer Beau Chevassus wanted to break the record for the most expensive Starbucks drink ever sold, so the Enumclaw, WA, resident went to his local coffee shop and ordered what might just be the most ridiculous beverage in coffee history. He brought a 53-ounce mug and ordered a Venti 48-shot mocha Frappuccino with soy milk, strawberries, mango, mocha drizzle, matcha powder, protein powder, two bananas, caramel brulee topping, caramel drizzle, vanilla bean, and Frappuccino chips. The total came to a whopping $47.30, but Chevassus didn’t have to pay. The staff gave him the massive drink as a birthday present.

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Dean and Deluca

Kopi Luwak - $400 Per Pound

Kopi Luwak is not only one of the most expensive coffees on the market, it's also one of the strangest. The specialty java is made from beans that are first ingested by civets (animals similar to cats). The beans are then picked out of the animal droppings and roasted, making for an extremely rare coffee that can cost around $400 per pound. Just 50 grams of it goes for $60 dollars at Dean and Deluca, and coffee shops have sold cups for as much as $30 each.

De’Longhi knows all about the exclusivity of the Kopi Luwak. In 2008 the coffee product maker crafted a specialty blend of its own, called Caffe Raro, that contained the civet-digested coffee as well as rare Jamaican Blue Mountain beans. The result was a single 2-ounce shot of espresso (made with hand roasted beans) that famously sold at Britain's upscale Peter Jones department store for 50 euro (approximately $67) a cup.

Grown at the Don Pachi Estate in Panama, Don Pachi Geisha beans broke the record for the most expensive beans sold at action at an impressive $111 per pound. The lucky few coffee roasters who get their hands on these extraordinary beans — known for their intense fruitiness — often sell them around preset roasting dates so customers receive the beans when they are as fresh as possible.

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Hacienda Esmeralda

Panama Geisha Esmeralda - $35 Per Cup

Panama Geisha Esmeralda is known internationally as one of the best coffees in the world. It has won numerous awards and accolades, including first place in the Best of Panama coffee competition six years and counting. The beans grow on extremely low yielding trees and are separated by different lots, which are then auctioned off by the grower. Funnel Mill coffee shop in Los Angeles sells a single serving siphon (that’s only enough for one cup) of Lot #2 for $35.

High-quality coffee beans from St. Helena, a tiny island in the South Atlantic, bring in about $128 per pound. If you don’t want to commit to an entire pound, Blacksmith Coffee Roastery sells 8-ounce bags of the coveted coffee for no less than $64. They are packaged and shipped within an hour of roasting. Just what makes St. Helena coffee so special? The beans are of the Green Tipped Bourbon Arabica variety and they are grown in St. Helena’s volcanic soil. The island only produces a few thousand pounds of coffee each year and the resulting beverage is said to have the same appeal as a fine wine.

Black Ivory coffee has also earned a reputation for one of the stranger coffee-making processes out there. Just how are these beans prepared? First the finest 100 percent Arabica beans are chosen. Then those same beans (still in fruit stage) are given to elephants. The elephants consume the coffee cherries and ultimately digest and then defecate the coffee. (Taking a trip through the elephant's digestive system apparently results in a less bitter cup of Joe.) The beans are then hand-picked from the elephant dung and roasted to perfection. Black Ivory is predominantly served at five-star hotels in Thailand (where the coffee is produced) for around $68 per cup, but it can also be found in the Maldives and the U.S.

Sold for around $50 a pound (it varies depending on the specific beans), El Injerto coffee has a rich history. Coffee has been growing at the Guatemalan location since 1900. A fourth-generation family currently runs the enormous farm. Beans are all handpicked when they reach the perfect ripeness. But the coffee beans aren't the only valued assets at the farm. Housing, medical care, and food are provided for all of the workers.

Black Blood of the Earth is a fitting name for a coffee that contains 40 times more caffeine than the average cup. Beans are brewed using a cold-vacuum extraction method, which allows for the highly caffeinated beverage to simply taste like regular coffee instead of extremely bitter. The special method supposedly also helps drinkers avoid upset stomachs and stained teeth because the process extracts more of the beans' oils and yields less overall acid. Black Blood of the Earth can be stored for up to three months without spoiling. A 25-ounce bottle can cost anywhere from $40 to $50, but a little goes a long way — drinkers are warned to only have one shot of the potent drink at a time.

The Ospina family has been in the coffee business since 1835, so it's no wonder they sell some of the most refined and expensive coffee in the world. Made using Arabica beans, the Ospina varieties are grown near the mountains of Antioquia on land that was chosen hundreds of years ago. Ospina Presidential Coffee is one of the company's most exclusive varieties, and it celebrates the 170th anniversary of the business. Only 5,000 commemorative gift sets were made using anniversary year beans and one golden bean straight from the Ospina farm. Gift sets retail for $135. The Deluxe Ospina Dynasty Coffee Premier Grand Cru – Grand Reserve is even more expensive. A 14-ounce package sells for $165.

Fazenda Santa Ines coffee grows in Brazil and is cultivated near the bottom of the Mantiquera mountains. The beans typically sell for around $50 dollars per pound at auction, partially due to the natural method in which they are picked. The coffee cherries are individually hand collected to prevent contamination and ensure quality.

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Starbucks

Starbucks Costa Rica Finca Palmilera - $7 Per Cup

There was a time when a $3.75 price tag for a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato seemed steep. But then the coffee giant introduced a $7 cup of coffee. Starbucks uses a special reserve roast, called Costa Rice Finca Palmilera, made from beans grown on a farm in Central America to make the drink. Each cup is brewed with Starbuck’s $12,000 Clover Brewing System machine.

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